i was wondering if you guys know this.i just bought a ford 6500, do you need a cdl to drive it with weight in it. my friend says you need a cdl if you put like 6-7 tons of stone in it because it is over 26000 pounds,but i dont beleive him. i also put around six oir seven tons of stone in it,i justdont want to get pulled over and get a big fine if i amwrong

Classified

04-01-2007, 03:10 PM

anything you have to look at the GVWR. its on the sticker on the door, if its over 26000 you need a CDL

hgotti

04-01-2007, 03:18 PM

it says 25999 sometihng like notm over 26,000 but when i have it loaded with 7 tons of stone it us over 26000 pounds

Illini_Fan

04-01-2007, 03:35 PM

i was wondering if you guys know this.i just bought a ford 6500, do you need a cdl to drive it with weight in it. my friend says you need a cdl if you put like 6-7 tons of stone in it because it is over 26000 pounds,but i dont beleive him. i also put around six oir seven tons of stone in it,i justdont want to get pulled over and get a big fine if i amwrong

YES. You are operating a commercial business, aren't you? The gross weight is not the only thing that determines if you need a CDL or not. You really need to heck with the CT Department of Transportation's enforcement division. It is probably the state police.

CDL = Commercial Driver's License

Classified

04-01-2007, 04:11 PM

When I drove a commercial truck, it was rated to 26,000#s which calls for a class C licence. Since we were not for hire just like a I would think a landscape company, I didnt need the CDL, I just needed the class C notation instead of a D. So just because its a commercial comapy it does not mean that you have to have a CDL.

Also, if you are loaded over the 26,000#s then your vehicle is over weight and you can get fined. You are LEAGALLY not allowed to be over your GVWR.

Classified

04-01-2007, 04:15 PM

Also, this is right off Fords site about the F-650

F650 Summary
The F-650 ranks near the top of the Ford Super Duty commercial truck line with a 26,000 lbs GVWR, just within the Commercial Drivers License (CDL) limit. GVWR 19,501-26,000

Texas Mower Parts

04-01-2007, 04:36 PM

26,000 lbs and under NO
26,001 and above YES

This is the Gross weight, truck, drivers, and load. Technically your friend is correct. We have a GMC 6500 that is rated for 25,950. I had to hot shot some rock the other day and when I drove on their sclaes I was 27,210. That was with 13,000 lbs of rock so our truck weighs 14,210. To stay legal you probably want to stay around the 6 ton mark. I you don't, you won't be the first one of us to be overloaded.

Illini_Fan

04-01-2007, 06:45 PM

I have held a commercial license for 31 years (yes, long before they were called CDLs) and have worked in the transportation industry for 28 of those years and I do not know all there is to know in every state and they all have their own set of rules. I do know that I have seen landscapers, lawn care, small delivery, straight, and semi trucks getting D.O.T. inspections all over this country. Even those who drive vans that deliver medical or industrial gases. There are a lot of variables that determine if you need a CDL or not. I can also tell you that if you ever find yourself on the wrong side of the rules and you get caught and God forbid, it is because of an accident, the fines will hurt you financially and you may even get 3 free meals a day. Just make sure you know. Also, you will want to make sure you have plenty of insurance. Again, if something were to go wrong, there are lawyers that salivate over truck crashes.

supercuts

04-01-2007, 07:45 PM

YES. You are operating a commercial business, aren't you? The gross weight is not the only thing that determines if you need a CDL or not. You really need to heck with the CT Department of Transportation's enforcement division. It is probably the state police.

CDL = Commercial Driver's License

no, you dont need a CDL to opporate a commerical vehilce in ct, unless, as stated, its over 26k gvw. on the other, what many dont know, is you do need a medical card to opporate any commerical vehicle in CT. that includes pickups. i just listed a post a few days ago about it and that DMV police are out again. if the 650 has air breaks you may need that endorsment. there is also a truck and trailer forum where you should stick these

supercuts

04-01-2007, 07:47 PM

oh yeah, what i found and posted too was that any veh with a GVW over 18,001 pounds does need US DOT numbers and anual inspections. so, in addition to the medical card you will need flares, first aid, orange triangles, and fuses in the truck.

Classified

04-01-2007, 10:22 PM

Illini fan, Im only stating what the the DOT officer had told us when they came to our office when we did get caught breaking the rules. So im very impressed with your 31 years of driving and knowlege but this is according to a local DOT officer that visited our office and audited us. We were unaware of 90% of the rules at the time and we could have been fined in the six figure range but since we were a new company he nicely educated us and gave us a time frame to complete all the things we needed to before the next audit. We did need a DOT # and I needed a medical card but I DID NOT need to have a CDL. I only needed a class C non CDL. The was rules that we had to follow. If we were a for hire company, then we would need a CDL. Im 90% sure this applies to all vehicles nation wide. In any event, i feel like im beating a dead horse so this is all I got, lol

Good luck to the OP

Illini_Fan

04-02-2007, 07:53 AM

All I was saying is that it varies state to state. It also varies with how any particular officer interprets the rules, when they are doing a roadside inspection. That is why we have courts. Was that the IL DOT, Federal DOT, or the Chicago City truck enforcement that audited you? It doesn't really matter, some lawn and landscape guys are going to break the rules anyway. They will overload trucks or trailers for sure, hire illegals, some will even let illegals drive. Then the hard working and legal guy has to compete with them. That is another thread.